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Who needs Smokey when there’s a chance to peek into the lives of some of our favorite castaways, such as Sun and Jin, whom we haven’t seen together in ages?

Though the “Lost” powers-that-be still haven’t seen fit to give us a clue about the alternate reality and how, why or even if it’s important to the greater mystery, at least there’s comfort in the fact that the alt-device packs as much punch as island life lately. Good thing, too, as it seems more minutes are devoted to it each week.

(Note to the powers-that-be: This doesn’t get you off the hook. The alternate reality better be way important!)

Sure, there’s no Smokey roaming the sideways streets of L.A., but who needs him when there’s a chance to peek into the lives of some of our favorite castaways who might not be so interesting on the island lately? For example, Sun and Jin — as in, Sun and Jin together, something they haven’t been, island-wise, since the end of season four.

But back in the City of Angels, Sun and Jin were side by side and dealing with that embarrassing suitcase-full-of-money incident at the airport. As it turns out, at least on TV, if you can’t explain the oodles of cash you’re bringing into the country, you can still go on your happy way, but the bucks stay with customs agents.

Not cool, especially for Jin, who really needed that dough for work purposes. He worked for scary Mr. Paik, after all, and when that man says “jump,” one traditionally responds, “Out of which window?” But maybe things weren’t so bad in this version of reality. Paik wasn’t even Jin’s father-in-law this time around.

No, Sun and Jin were lovers, rather than husband and wife. Besides, Mr. Paik couldn’t have been so terrible, not if Jin was willing to blow off that ill-fated cash-n-watch drop for some cozy time with the boss’s daughter. Right?

Or completely and in all ways wrong. Which is why an always super-sketchy Keamy came knocking on Sun and Jin’s hotel hangout. Seems that wayward $25,000 was pretty important and the watch alone wouldn’t cover the tab. For some reason, neither Sun nor Jin seemed appropriately freaked out by that, even when a two-eyed Mikhail stopped by to translate.

Sun figured she’d simply stop by the bank and pull out the cash from her running-away-from-home account. With Mikhail in tow, she tried to do just that, but Daddy Dearest made that money disappear. Meanwhile Keamy took Jin to a familiar restaurant.

Remember the hot spot where Sayid opened fire on Keamy and his band of goons weeks ago, just before finding a bound and gagged Jin in the walk-in fridge? See where this is going? Let’s just skip ahead to the part where the suddenly-there Sayid hands Jin a box cutter and wishes him luck on the whole getting-free thing. Jin needed it, as moments earlier, a conscious Keamy explained to him that Paik’s money was meant as a payoff in exchange for killing Jin. That’s where messing around with Sun got him.

Speaking of Sun, she and Mikhail joined the slaughtered henchmen scene just as a newly freed Jin prepared to battle the once-one-eyed baddie. After some obligatory weapon wrestling and wayward shots, Jin grabbed the gun and shot Mikhail in right eye. Guess some things are just meant to be.

And sadly, others aren’t. Jin turned around to see a bloody Sun. He rushed to her and carried her off as she mumbled something about being pregnant.

Geesh! Well, at least things had to go better back on the island. Ha.

Island-Sun, like so many viewers, was ready to get on with the long-anticipated Jin reunion. As luck would have it, Smokey offered to help her out with that. But on account of his being so very creepy, Sun decided to just run the other way — smack into a palm tree.

Nevermind. Maybe Jin could find her instead. That was his plan right before Widmore’s lackeys shot him and everyone else in Camp Smokey with fast-acting tranq darts.

Sigh.

Apparently, the purpose of the mass drugging was to grab Jin for Mr. Widmore. Why? Eh. It couldn’t have been just to show Jin the camera Sun had on the airplane when it crashed — the one filled with photos of the adorable daughter Jin has never met. And it couldn’t have been all about the mystery package Mr. Widmore mentioned. Actually it could have been about that. Who knows?

Widmore didn’t have time to explain. He had to deal with the Smokey threat. Jacob’s former right-hand man had a brief how-do-you-do with his old, mysterious nemesis, and it seems war is on the horizon.

Too bad Widmore didn’t realize Smokey planted an interloper named Sayid in his midst during that chat. And Sayid, who’s clearly a couple of seashells short of a beach right about now, arrived sub-side just in time to come face-to-face with that “package” Widmore was talking about. A “package” otherwise known as Desmond!

A shocker, yes, but how does that reveal relate to Sun and Jin? It doesn’t really. The Sun and Jin plot sort of fell apart. Sun recovered from her head bonk (with a ridiculous case of aphasia) and then ... nothing really.

In what seemed like a banner night for reunions, what with Locke and Widmore’s meet up, Desmond and Sayid’s silent “hey,” and the all-too-brief get-together for Mikhail’s left and right eyes, the one that packed two season’s worth of suspense never happened. Sun and Jin just can’t catch a break.

Ree Hines wants Sun and Jin to get back together already. She wants Desmond to go to her house immediately. What do you want? Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ReeHines and let her know.